Product Summary

An electric meat grinder is a piece of kitchen equipment which is designed to grind meat into segments of uniform size. People are probably familiar with hamburger meat, a common product of the meat grinder, but these tools are also used to grind meats for sausages, meat loaves, and similar products. Incidentally, many butchers are happy to custom-grind meats for customers who ask, and you may find the freshly ground meat tastes better when used. They can also be used for things other than meats, like nuts and some vegetables.

The basic operating principle of the electric meat grinder has remained the same since it was developed in the 19th century by German inventor Karl Drais. The meat is forced through a metal plate which is punched with numerous small holes. As the meat is extruded, it takes the form of long, thin threads of meat which can be further broken up into chunks. It is possible to change the fineness of the grind by switching plates, from very fine to quite coarse.

Many meat grinders have a sausage making attachment. To make sausage with a electric meat grinder, people attach the casings to the sausage making plate and then force the meat through the plate into the casings. Periodically, the casings may be twisted to create individual sausage links which can later be cut apart.